DEA Aims To Dispose Of Unused Prescription Drugs

PHILADELPHIA (CBS3) – The Drug Enforcement Administration is leading a nationwide effort to properly dispose of old and unused prescription drugs.

“About 72% of all prescription drugs, we find, that are abused, start in our own medicine cabinets,” said Special Agent John Bryfonski.

CBS 3’s Jericka Duncanreports that this Saturday most local police stations, nationwide, will act as drop-off sites for the anonymous “take-back prescription drugs” program.

If you go to dea.gov, click on the “Got Drugs” link, and enter your zip code, you will find a list of places taking back prescribed medication.

“We want to eliminate that source of unused and unwanted prescription drugs from our medicine cabinets by getting rid of them in an environmentally-friendly safe way,” said Bryfonski.

Bernie Strain of Manayunk is one of many people who will participate, by collecting all of his unused and old prescription medication.

Last year he lost his youngest son, 18-year-old Timothy Strain.

Strain died from taking a mixture of prescription drugs for a burn injury, and medicine he thought would help relieve some of his pain.

“His girlfriend’s mother said here, take this,” said Bernie Strain. “It had “M” on it. What’s the “M” for, maximum strength Percocet? Well, the “M” turned out it stood for methadone.”

The collection will take place Saturday September 25th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DEA officials says they will take the collected prescription drugs to Ohio, where a special company will incinerate them so they don’t end up in the water supply.